A Tale of a Hero to All

by Grrrrpets

Part 3

Scuzzewolf lay at Dr. Sloth’s feet, the stench overwhelming for his sensitive nose. He growled angrily at himself for following the dredged beast. He looked at his paws again and sobbed. A sharp kick to his side brought him from his own self-pity. Hearing the raucous voice of Sloth made him quiver.

“Be quiet and stop pitting yourself. You got yourself in this mess, and no one can get you out of it, not even your precious owner Laura.”

Scuzzewolf rested his tired head on his paws and flicked his tail wildly. His eyes stared at Sloth’s feet. Too angry to think about anything else but hatred for Sloth, he blocked Sloth's words. He picked up on his beloved owner’s name and stood up hurling himself towards Sloth, yelling, “Don’t you dare talk about her!” Dr. Sloth raised his green hand as Scuzzewolf jumped at him. He slapped the poor Lupe away, laughing cruelly. “Don’t waste what little energy you have left. And besides, if it wasn't for her, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. She put you here.”

Scuzzewolf cowered down at his feet, breathing heavily, his eyes shut tightly in anger. He said through gritted teeth, “That’s a lie.”

“I’m afraid not. She called me about a week ago and said she was tired of having a good for nothing Lupe lying around. She gave me 12 Neopoints for me to take you away.” Dr. Sloth said mockingly.

“Lies. It’s all lies.”

“Nope, it’s all true. But you don’t have to believe me. I taped the phone call. Would you like to hear it?”

“Shut up! You are lying to me!” Scuzzewolf said in an angry sob. Dr. Sloth, taking great joy in this, made a "tsk tsk" sound with his tongue and pushed a button. Instantly, a phone can be heard ringing. Scuzzewolf slowly opened his eyes and listened. Ring! Ring!

“Hello?”

“Yes, Dr. Sloth? It’s me, Laura.”

“Oh, hello Laura! How is it going?”

“Horrible. I need you to do something for me.”

“Yes?”

“I need you to take my Lupe, Scuzzewolf. He sleeps beside the dumpsite across the street from my house. He’s usually in a card board box.”

“Are you sure you want me to take him?”

“Positive. Just do it. He’s so annoying. Always begging for attention, then complaining when he gets it!”

“All right Laura, I’ll be sure to do it.”

“Good, bye Dr. Sloth.”

“Good-bye, Laura.” Click. Scuzzewolf lay in total silence; the horrifying news of his beloved owner beat into him as a hammer would.

As he lay there, looking at the ceiling, the vision became blurry. The hot tears ran down his smelly fur as he choked on his own breath. It slowly dawned on him that Laura didn’t want him. Dr. Sloth smiled to himself, loving the way Scuzzewolf broke down so easily. He put out his green hand towards Scuzzewolf to comfort him, but instead, he grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently. Dr. Sloth said, “You see! No one loves you! You don’t deserve a place in life!”

Scuzzewolf stopped crying and hung his head to the side. Silently, he went over all the happy times that he shared with Laura. The walks in the park, the shopping sprees, the morning chases. And yet, she doesn’t want me? Even after all they had been through, she doesn’t love him anymore? How can that be? He started to cry again, but did it silently, as Dr. Sloth told him the rules of living as his little pet and went over marching techniques.

Scuzzewolf lay there for many hours, listening to every word, crying every now and then, and getting a harsh kick from it, too. “Do you want to be mine?” Sloth would ask every time. “No,” Scuzzewolf would reply, and he would get a harsh kick to the ribs. Dr. Sloth paced back and forth talking on and on about the lifestyle, while Scuzzewolf lay in a trance. He could not believe that Laura would ever give him up to Sloth, knowing what kind of horrors happen here. As he lay on his back, he watched the lights, still in his trance. Then the lights flickered. His eyes widened, and he smiled for the first time since he had arrived at Dr. Sloth’s home. “What was that?” Sloth says, quite annoyed. “Laura?”